The electrical systems of motor vehicles of all types are becoming increasingly complex, requiring correspondingly more complex electrical connection or interface boards to accommodate the wiring. These boards include a variety of appropriate electrical connectors for connection of wires and cables from the wiring system (which generally enter the board at the rear face thereof) to appropriate electrical components (such as relays, fuses, and terminals) which plug in to suitable openings formed on the front of the board.
Of course, modern vehicles are equipped with various and sundry electrical devices. Depending on the options selected, even two vehicles of the same model may vary in the complexity of their wiring systems. Certainly, there is tremendous variation from one model to another. If an integrally formed connection board is provided for each vehicle, either a variety of custom boards must be produced, which is expensive and inefficient, or a standard board must include capacity for the most complex system; in that case, much of the board's capacity is wasted when used on vehicles with simpler wiring systems. This also represents inefficiency and waste.
To address these concerns, modular electrical connection boards have been developed. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,042,895; 3,474,397; 3,771,104; 4,269,470; 4,343,258; and 4,611,879. In some cases, modular blocks into which individual electrical components are inserted are attachable directly to each other, such as is the case in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,104. In other cases, the individual, modular blocks are joined by means of an intermediate wedge, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,879. However, a problem is encountered with both types of modular systems in that the environment in which they operate (generally under the hood of a vehicle) is subjected to considerable thermal and mechanical stress. Particularly, when the joint is heated, the female member thereof "relaxes," thereby causing the joint to loosen.
Furthermore, alignment problems are often encountered after assembling the modular blocks together to make up the interconnect board. Such misalignments can make it difficult to correctly insert the appropriate electrical components into the board in their correct positions and can result in bad electrical contact.
It would be desirable to provide a modular electrical connection system which overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art and has joints between the various members thereof which maintain their integrity when subjected to thermal and mechanical stress. It would also be particularly advantageous to have such a system wherein means are provided for aligning the electrical components with respect to the modular blocks of the system before they are permanently locked in.